Deception Forecast — the archive.

The FTC is warning that scammers and dishonest marketers ramp up ahead of Open Enrollment, buying search ads and building lookalike web addresses designed to pass for Healthcare.gov or Medicare.gov, and that anyone claiming to be an "official Medicare agent" is a scammer by definition.

The IRS is warning taxpayers, tribal communities, and tax professionals that promoters are selling a "Tribal Tax Credit" with no basis in federal tax law, while the SSA's Office of Inspector General is separately warning that any offer to "boost" your Social Security benefit for an upfront fee is a scam.

The FBI is updating a 2022 warning that scammers impersonate law enforcement and government officials over the phone to extort money, reporting nearly 61,000 complaints and more than $1.6 billion in losses since January 2025 — while a separate new FTC alert describes scammers posing as farm equipment dealers to sell tractors that never arrive.

The FTC is renewing its September warning that scammers pose as government officials, charities, or contractors after storms and other disasters, while a separate new FTC alert lays out the exact steps to get an intimate image removed if it was shared online without your consent.

The FBI is warning that criminals are targeting prominent people and their contacts with "OAuth consent phishing" — a technique that survives a password change entirely — while the FTC is separately warning that scammers are pasting fake QR codes directly over real ones on parking meters.

The FTC is warning that veterans are receiving postcards promising a nonexistent "Veterans Savings Program," a phishing lure dressed up with real VA benefit names — the same week it renewed its standing advice to verify any charity, especially one asking for disaster-relief donations, before giving.

The FTC is warning that dishonest companies buy paid search ads so their site outranks the real one when you look up a company's bill-payment page, then tack on fees you never agreed to — the same week it renewed its warning that an unordered package on your doorstep can carry a QR code built to phish you, not just fake reviews in your name.

The FBI is warning that criminals are breaking into people's social media and personal accounts — using passwords leaked in old data breaches — specifically to steal and resell explicit photos and videos, while the FTC is flagging a wave of social media ads for steep 'discounts' on brand-name goods that are not vetted by the platforms and often ship counterfeits or nothing at all.

The FTC's newest alert warns that scammers buy lists of people who've already been scammed and call back as the rescue — a government agency, a law firm, even the FTC itself — while the FBI's standing PSA describes imposters posing as its own complaint center, complete with AI-generated videos and lookalike websites.

The FTC's newest alert points at the tell that survives every disguise — how scammers ask you to pay — while a $45.9 million student-loan "forgiveness" operation faces a permanent ban from the debt relief industry.

With the 2026 World Cup under way, scammers are spoofing official ticket and hospitality sites — while summer travel scams and a fake-verification malware trick keep circulating.

A new "CAPTCHA" malware trick is circulating — fake verification screens that tell you to run keyboard commands — while summer travel scams keep spreading.

Imposter scams lead the pack — new FTC data ties them to $3.5 billion in reported 2025 losses, as summer travel scams keep circulating.

Summer travel is here — and so are fake rental listings and "too cheap" trip deals.

Fake tax-refund texts send people to cloned login pages.